Katter's lament: 'We're having a presidential-style election at the cost of local members'

BOB Katter laments it will be the closest thing to an American-style presidential election Australia has ever experienced, with people effectively using their votes to directly elect Kevin Rudd or Tony Abbott.

Mr Katter, the federal member for Kennedy, fears the contest is focusing only on the apex of the political pyramid, meaning local candidates will avoid being held to account by voters.

"I think it is a measure of how far we've fallen in Australia," says Mr Katter, who argues local issues are being swept aside as the 2013 election becomes a pure national leadership referendum.

Federal elections have always been that way, to a point, but this time even more so. Despite Mr Rudd's promise to be more inclusive with his party, his emergency reinstatement has only fortified his inexplicable cult of personality.

"It's not only a presidential election, but a presidential-style government if Kevin wins," says Mr Katter. "This time, they will all owe their seats to Kevin."

Just a few weeks ago, Labor was looking at wipe-out in Queensland under Julia Gillard, with the possibility that only Mr Rudd would retain his seat.

Tony Abbott and Kevin Rudd in Parliament.Source:News Limited

The latest Fairfax-Nielsen Poll suggests if an election were held now, it would be too close to call; and, more tellingly, 55 per cent of voters prefer Mr Rudd to Mr Abbott, at 41 per cent.

If this poll is right, it is evident that Labor voters are not returning to the Labor Party, they are returning only for Mr Rudd, confirming we are facing an unprecedented presidential-style election.

Mr Katter says minority parties and independents will struggle for relevance in what is effectively a two-candidate race. It bodes badly for his own Katter's Australian Party, which plans to field up to 100 candidates in the election.

Nevertheless, the Queensland MP pushes on, hunting for voters, despite gathering some despairing home truths along the way.

When feeling out prospective seats, Mr Katter says: "We did an unofficial poll on, 'Do you know your member of parliament?' I would say there wouldn't be two per cent who knew who their member of parliament was."

That confirmed to him that people only thought about the leaders of the two major parties, rather than considering alternative local members whom he argues could produce a better democracy.

"This is a personality contest," he says.

"When it's Gillard against Abbott, Abbott's going to win by the length of a straight. When it's Rudd against Abbott, what's changed? Is there any radical change of policy? I don't think so."

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